Before the fame, there was Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.

Romero was a product of Cuba’s athletic development program, which meant he was training to be a wrestler at an early age. Romero told MMA Junkie that he originally wanted to try judo – that’s the martial art Ronda Rousey is known for – but a coach told him he had the body of a wrestler.

After his success in freestyle wrestling, Romero wanted to expand his career. He defected from Cuba in 2005 after a wrestling tournament in Germany.